Box-nailing press.



W. D. DAVIS.

BOX NAILING PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. 11,1904.

PATENTBD JUNE 20, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 792,760. PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905.

y W. D. DAVIS.

BOX NAILING PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED 0O'l.11,1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

F2 .4. 6 l j f a i ,7 rwtE L 445 fi fi 11' 7/ 6/ l 6 6 5 If 17%; Ill: Alli Lil j z Z. W I g 21 Z i A m1)? z'erzz ai' WILLIAM D. DAVIS, OF LOOKPORT,

Patented June 20, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO JAMES R.

ROWE ANDE. D. DAVIS, OF LOOKPORT, NEW YORK.

BOX-NAILING PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,760, dated J une 20, 1905.

Application filed October 11,1904. Serial No. 228,063.

To a whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LWILLIAM D. DAVIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lockport, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have inventedanew and useful Improvement in Box-Nailing Presses, of which the following is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to machines or presses for pressing down and holding the covers of filled boxes of fruit while the covers are being nailed on the box.

The boxes in which fruit such as apples, oranges, and lemons are shipped are ordinarily made of such thin boards that nailing strips or cleats extending across the ends of .the bottom and cover-boards are required to prevent the boards from tearing away from the nails, in handling the boxes. These cleats also serve when the boxes are piled up to hold bodies of the oxes out of contact, and thus relieve'the fruit in the lower boxes from the weight of the superposed boxes. In packing the boxes they are usually filled so that the fruit projects above the top edge of the boxes, and in applying the cover or top boards they bear between the ends on the fruit, and the ends of the boards must be pressed down against the ends of the box and there held, together with the nailing-cleats, while the secur- 0 ing-nails are driven into place. It is thus a slow and tedious operation for one man to hold and nail the covers on the box.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a simple efiicient press or machine for pressing down and holding the coverboards in place while they and the nailingcleats are nailed to the ends of the boxes whereby a single workman can cover the boxes rapidly and with the minimum labor.

Another object of the invention is to make the press adjustable to accommodate boxes of different sizes.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a press for the stated purpose of the novel construction hereinafter described, and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, consisting of two sheets, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a box-nailing press embodying the invention.

E Fig. 2 is a front elevation, partly in section, 5

thereof with a box in place on the box-support which is shown in its lower position. Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof, partly in horizontal section, in line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 isa longitudina lsectional elevation thereof, showing the box-support and box raised.

The machine or press comprises, briefly stated, a stationary frame, a vertically-sliding box support or frame on which the filled box is placed with the cover laid thereon, and a treadle by which the box-support is raised to lift the box up until arrested by the engagement of the cover-boards with stationary holding-rods, which press down the ends of the cover-boards and hold them in place un- 5 til secured.

In the machine shown in the drawings the stationary frame comprises a base or platform A, upright corner-posts B, which are secured at their lower ends to angle-irons Z) 7 on the base or are attached thereto in any other suitable manner, and top, front, and back cross-bars O and end bars C, which are secured to and connect the upper ends of the upright corner-posts. Angle-bars are preferably employed for the corner-posts and top cross-bars. The frame is also stiffened and strengthened by intermediate front and back cross-bars 0 and end bars 0 and an upright bar 0 which connects the top and interme- 3O diate back cross-bars. Suflicient space is left between the top and intermediate front crossbars O c to enable the largest-sized box for which the machine is intended to be slipped into the frame between said bars, and the 5 front cornerposts are preferably provided opposite this space with flaring guide-flanges (Z, which can be conveniently formed by cutting the front flanges of the corner-posts at turning out the portions of the flanges between the cuts.

The vertically-sliding box support or frame E is preferably made of wood and consists of upright corner-posts connected at their upper and lower ends by horizontal front, rear, and end cross-bars. The upper end bars 6 are adjustably attached to the upper front and rear the top and intermediate front cross-bars and 9 cross-bars 6, so that they can be moved to- Ward and from each other and secured in the different positions required for boxes of different lengths. In the construction shown the end bars a rest on top of the front and rear cross-bars a and have secured thereto screw-clamps F, which embrace the front and rear cross-bars, to which they are clamped to secure the end bars by turning up the screws of the clamps. Any other suitable securing devices can be employed in place of the screw-clamps. G represents guide-plates secured to the end bars 6 of the box-support for guiding the box into proper position in the box-support when placing it in the machine. The guide-plates are preferably made of metal and have outwardly-flaring front ends. The box-support E is confined and guided in its movements in the stationary frame by the flanged corner-posts of the latter.

H H represent presser-rods to bear on and press the ends of the cover-boards down on the ends ofthe box.' The rods are arranged horizontally parallel with and above the end portions of the box on the box-support and are supported by the front and rear top crossbars of the stationary frame.

In the machine shown the front and rear cross-bars are provided with holes h, in which the presser-rods are removably retained by cotter-pins It or otherwise, this construction allowing the presser-rods to be held at ditferent distances apart to properly operate upon boxes of different lengths.

The box-support E is operated by a suitable treadle I, that shown having a foot-board arranged in front of the stationary frame and side arms 7;, which are pivoted at their rear ends to the angle-irons 7) on the sides of the platform. The treadle is connected to the sliding box-support by chains or the like flexible members K, which pass over pulleys 71:, journaled in any suitable manner on the sides of the stationary frame and have their opposite ends attached, respectively, to the side arms of the treadle and hooks in on the sides of the box-support. The upward movement of the treadle is limited by suitable stops k fixed on the stationary frame. By engaging the hooks 7;" on the box-support in different links of the chains K the box-support can be held at different elevations, the object being to have the tops of shallow and deep boxes at substantially the same elevation when the box-support is lowered, so that the same length of movement of the treadle will lift the tops of the different boxes up against the presser-rods H.

' L represents a spring connected at opposite ends to the platform and box-support for lowering the latter.

The operation of the machine is as follows: After the end bars a of the box-support and the presser-rods II have been adjusted to the length of the boxes to be covered and the box-support adjusted to the proper height a filled box, with the coverboards laid on top thereof, is placed on the box-support betweenthe guide-plates G, as shown in Fig. 2. The bottom nailing-cleats'of the box rest upon the end bars 6 of the box-support,- which being raised above the other portions of the box-support hold the bottom of the box up out of contact with the support, so that the bottom can give, and thus prevent the fruit from being bruised by pressure when the cover-boards are pressed down. The operator then depresses thetreadle Ia nd, raises the box-support and box until the presser-rods bear on and press the ends of the cover-boards down against the ends of the box, as shown in Fig. 4. The nailing-cleats are then placed across the ends of the cover-boards against the presser-rods, which are so disposed as to constitute gages or rests for the nailing-cleats, and the cover-boards secured by driving nails through the nailing-cleats and cover -boards into the ends of the box. As the presser-rods hold thecover-boards in place until nailed and also assist in holding the nailing-cleats, an operator can nail the covers on the boxes with great rapidity and ease.

Means may be provided, if deemed desirable, for holding the box-support and'box in their raised position, and thus relieve the op 9 tion, and'to lock thetreadle when down-it is ably holding the box-support in its raised position.

What I claim is- 1. The combination of a stationary frame havingsubstantially parallel front and rear top bars, horizontal presser-rods which are adjustably secured. at their opposite ends to said top bars and are adjustable toward and from each other on said horizontal bars of the frame to suit boxes of different lengths, a boxsupport movable vertically in said frame beneath the presser-rods, and means for raising said box-support and the box thereon so that the presser-rods bear on and press down-the ends of the box-cover, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a stationary frame, stationary horizontal presser-rodssupported by and adjustable on said frame toward and from each other, a box-support movable vertically in said frame beneath the presser-rods and having horizontal top bars, box-guides adjustable toward and from each other on and releasably secured to the horizontal top bars of said box-support, and means for raising said box-support and the box thereon so that the presser-rods bear on and press down the ends of the box-cover, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of a stationary rectangular frame having upright corner-posts connected at their upper ends by horizontal bars, horizontal pressure-rods secured to opposite horizontal bars of said frame, a verticallymovable box-support confined between and guided in its vertical movements by said upright corner-posts, a box-guide on said box support, and means for raising said box-support and the box thereon so that the presserrods bear on and press down the ends of the box-cover, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of a stationary rectangular frame having upright corner-posts consisting of angle-bars. and horizontal bars connecting the upper ends of said corner-posts, horizontal presser-rods secured to opposite horizontal bars of said frame, a verticallymovable box-support confined between and guided in its vertical movements by said upright corner-posts, and means for raising and lowering said box-support, said corner-posts above the box-support when in its lowered position having portions of their flanges turned outwardly to form vertical guides for the box, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand this 7th day of October, 1904.

WILLIAM D. DAVIS.

Witnesses:

J. FRANK SMITH, ZETTA BARRETT. 

